Plants for a small garden

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For the past 7 years, I have had to adapt and limit my gardening aspirations. Rose cottage’s rear garden is a meager 14ft by 12ft in size and the front garden is not much bigger. I love variety in the garden; plenty of colour, texture and scent, so what have I found works in such a small space? Here is a list of plants that you may find best suited for a tight spot to get the most out of your small garden.

Grow Vertical!

Tall Plants

Taller plants, slimmer plants can be put at the back of borders for maximum effect in a small garden.

Bamboo ‘Shibataea chilensis’ – Chinese Dwarf Bamboo

Columbine (Aquilegia)

Campanula pyramidalis

Dwarf Hollyhock

Dwarf Iris

Echinops ruthenicus

Sunflower

Foxglove

Stocks (Matthiola)

Verbascum

Canna indica

Gladioli

Verbena bonariensis

Agapanthus

Belamcanda

Delphinium

Larkspur

Lobelia cardinalis

Nicotiana suaveolens

Evening Primrose

Eremurus

Vertical Space – Climbers

If your horizontal space is a little ‘area challenged’, then make the most of the greatest, limitless expanse in your garden – the sky! A good strong trellis will not only add more growing area to your garden but also add plenty interest and privacy.

Sweetpea

Clematis

Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala)

Chilean Glory Vine

Black-eyed Susan

Morning Glory (Convolvulus)

Borders & Containers

Work in miniature. If you have only a limited area for bedding plants, then choose wisely. I’d recommend a mixture of alpine plants and smaller annual flowers.

Thymus vulgaris ‘Aureus’

Bacopa

Lobelia

Mesembryanthemum (Livingstone Daisy)

Verbena

Aubrieta

Begonia Semperflorens

Candytuft

Cosmos

Cyclamen

Dahlia ‘Figaro’

Delosperma

Impatiens (Busy Lizzie)

Limnanthes (Poached Eggs)

Linanthus

Nemesia

Tagetes

Viola

Dwarf Aquilegia

Saxifrage

Alyssum

Sempervivum

Stonecrop (sedum)

Hanging Baskets

You can always depend on hanging baskets in a small garden…even if you have no garden at all! In my mind, one of the best ways of getting maximum colour in a limit space.

Trailing Violas

Trailing Sweetpea

Bacopa

Trailing Begonia

Dichondra

Ivy Geranium

Diascia

Lobelia

Fuchsia

Mini Petunia Calibrachoa

Vegetables for small gardens

You don’t have to convert what little space you have in a vegetable patch. Certain vegetables in the right settings can look great as feature plants and provide plenty of fresh food.